Today was a very special day for all the Russians, the day which we have been celebrating in my family for as long as I can remember. The day that brings tears to my eyes and makes us, Russians, be very proud of our ancestors, our great-grandfathers and grandfathers, who fought for lasting peace and lost over 26 million of lives in the process.
Both of my grandfathers fought in the Second World War and were lucky to come back alive. One of them, Vladimir, is still alive and even though he is getting on with years and is becoming quite frail I love him dearly and am very proud of what he, together with many of his comrades, achieved and later taught us. My other grandfather, Yvan, burnt in the tank but survived that and finished the war in Berlin-he truly was an extraordinary man and I miss him greatly.
Today’s military parade on the Red Square was extraordinary, the fireworks took your breath away and for the whole day people went out, putting flowers at War memorials, hugging and thanking our frail veterans and giving them their due. Moscow and many towns were a riot of beautiful flowers, special war memorial bands and the air was filled with old, beautiful, soulful wartime songs, which make every Russian reflect and reminisce.
Every 9th of May I feel very proud of my country, of our grandparents and of the courage and will that Russian people poses. The War came unexpectedly but we survived, we fought every stay of the way, showing humility and great courage in the face of horrendous events, deaths, hunger and torture. Thank you to every single man and woman that made this day possible and the Russian spirit even stronger.
Even if you haven’t been travelling lately it’s been impossible to escape the news about Icelandic volcano eruption, ash in the atmosphere and closure of the airspace across Europe.
I have friends who were stuck in Europe, going from place to place, trying to get home, eventually. My husband got stuck in Kiev, while on business but he was quite lucky that it only took him two days to get back home via plane to Milan-train to Genoa-car to Nice-car to Calais and our very dear friend driving from the UK to pick him up, as no rental cars were allowed out of France.
Yesterday I was watching ITV news and trying not to cry, looking at desperate people, especially the ones with small children, who are still stuck, who have no money, some have expired visas, some have ran out of important medication and no one is helping them to get back home. Not the government, not the British officials, not the airlines or car rental companies. Some companies are raising their fares or tariffs, trying to make a profit out of someone’s misery, and many simply don’t care about the stranded passengers.
Until recently I was under the illusion that it was the Russian government which treated its citizens as cattle (well, not if you listen to the daily news reports, which are beyond glowing!) but that the British government and society were different. I am under no illusion any more!!!!
We are in the midst of the election campaign fever, watching Brown, Cameron and Clegg campaigning around the country but with all of their talk, none of them (!) were decisive in sorting the very pressing problem of getting the Brits back home. David Cameron talks about changes, so does Mr. Clegg while PM Brown has the actual power to do something still. At the moment it appears that the only thing those three politicians are truly capable of is talking. When it comes to action, to actually doing something for the people and not beating himself on the chest about it, they just don’t deliver and actions-or in this case, lack of, speak louder than words. All I can say is shame on you. And election results, whoever wins, make me depressed already. So much for the so-called democracy.
It wasn’t just the fact that Sandra Bullock (who I have never met but seem to adore) has won an Oscar for her role in the Blind Side, it’s the fact that my friends seem to rave about it continuously, that made me finally get off the couch and go and see it.
Blind Side is based on a true story of a middle class white Touhy family, who take in a black boy from the street and help him realise his overall potential. Sandra Bullock plays the head-strong mother of the family, who has a loving husband, two wonderful kids (the little boy is a true jewel, who will make you smile or crack up laughing throughout the movie) and a successful career as an interior designer. But when she sees Big Mike, a boy who studies at her kid’s school, soaking wet, walking by the road side in the dark, something compels her to turn the car around and take him home. I urge you to see the movie for yourself but I will say that I haven’t seen a movie that good for a long time. It made me (and the rest of the audience) laugh but it also made me well up several times, and believe me, I normally don’t cry when I go to the movies. But the best compliment I can give this movie is to say that it made me think about our place in society and about what kind of people we all are.
How many of us can truly sympathise with a stranger? How many of us will come to the rescue of a person we have never seen before? Are many of us capable of helping a person who struggles or giving a child a loving home when we already have kids of our own? Would we spend our own money on a complete stranger, expecting nothing in return?
We tend to be divided by so many things, like race, wealth, outlook on life, we are so quick to judge each other or be rude to each other but it’s the genuine acts of kindness that make us human and worthy of being called a human being.
Recently we had two bombings on the tube in Moscow and reports were varied but you know what shocked me the most? A short news story that said that taxi drivers in the affected areas tripled their fares. They didn’t rush to help people or take them to the hospital- they looked to make a buck for themselves out of someone else’s tragedy. While some people, inside those train carriages, racked by the blasts, saved other people from dying, by being at the front of the explosions, some morons on the ground, safe and sound, tried to profit from a horribly tragic situation. Did it get mentioned during governmental briefings? Oh no, it didn’t, while I strongly believe it should have. Those actions are beyond shameful and by not saying anything, one seems not to condone it. I am not saying there weren’t plenty of decent and courageous people out there, helping out-there were plenty! It’s always a small bunch of inhumanes that can be found anywhere around the world, attacking a frail pensioner for their meagre savings, killing a youth for his mobile phone, raping a young woman or abusing a child-the list can be endless.
But we need to talk about things like that and learn as society. Certain events make people come together, but a story told in the Blind Side is the best example of what all of us are capable of. Every nation has good and bad people and every nation has monsters, said President Medvedev while addressing his government and the nation shortly after the Moscow tube bombings and I think he is fundamentally right, we just need to unite across the world and be led forward by kindness and selflessness, hopefully making our world a better place for our kids to live safely in.
We live in unsteady times. Every time you turn on the news you see sadness, brutality, hunger, devastation or human suffering. Those events became so regular we are almost used to them, almost immune, in a way doctors and nurses have to be in order to do their jobs and save lives.
The earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti have taken many lives, of the Haitians and of people who worked there, like UN staff, many of whom are still missing. Every day there are bulletins on news channels showing deserted, devasted streets, suffering, looting, death, tears, kids who are now orphanted-it tears at your heart, makes you want to cry and makes you very greatful that you still have a roof over your head, your child is well fed and hydrated and that your family and friends are safe & well.
Yesterday George Clooney and Wyclef Jean hosted a telethon with many actors and singers participating, singing, talking to callers in order to raise funds to help Haiti recover and for Haitians to re-build their lives, devastated by the nature’s force. At the moment the amount raised stands at £35million but if you consider that the whole country will need to be re-build, people still don’t have access to clean water, proper medical help and regular food and drink they will need more, much more than that. And I am not even talking about the emotional pain, the fear all people of Haiti must be feeling, having lost their homes, posessions and their family members or friends.
I made a donation today on behalf of my little son to Unicef’s Haiti Earthquake Children’s Appeal fund and I urge you, please donate, no matter how small an amount, it will make a difference to Haitians and give them hope for the future and the understanding that the people around the world care. And hope at times like that is priceless.
http://www.unicef.org.uk/give/index.asp?page=33&google=haiti_jan10&gclid=CPrx9dDIu58CFQYslAodAH9vzg
The hot subject of this week was the size of bankers bonuses and the decision of the Chancellor to tax the bonuses above £25k. The more I listen to those discussions the angrier it makes me because I think that all over the world the wedge is being driven between the rich and the poor. Today, watching Question Time on BBC1 I have had enough, after hearing Piers Morgan lambast the ’fat cat’ bankers and their indecent use of the public funds that was given to bail them out.
I think distinctions need to be made. First of all, not all banks were bailed out. I completely agree that the banks that were bailed out by the public have no right to even think about any bonuses until the public funds get repaid. Will they ever is the question no one is prepared to answer at the moment.
Secondly, why is everyone talking badly about bankers in general? Like with people, there are some bad but also very decent ones. Many of those so-called ‘fat cats’ work obscene hours, travel all over the world on business, while their wives and kids stay at home. If anything they make their kids fall ill more often, as they collect bugs during their travel-why doesn’t anyone consider that? They don’t have any benefits or support from the government, they pay a huge proportion of their salaries in taxes and often those hard earned funds get wasted on teenagers who get pregnant recklessly at a very young age or people who claim benefits and have no desire to get off the sofa and try to find work or learn new skills.
The government often misuses the funds collected from taxes on disasters like the Millennium Dome or bureaucrats’ salaries. Do people who pay their taxes even know how those funds are getting spent? It is ok for footballers to earn obscene salaries or for celebrities to earn money by endorsing products or TV appearances and no one proposes to tax their extra income-why? How are bankers who work in non-bailed banks and who haven’t taken any money from the public are different from footballers or celebrities? It is just so easy to use them as scapegoats instead of addressing the government’s inadequacies. Many rich people had to work hard for many years in order to get where they are, this fact is not voiced often enough. Until we learn to be responsible for our mistakes, instead of blaming someone else for our inadequacies we are not going to live in a just and productive society.
In the last few days I cannot bear to watch the news talking about the floods in Cumbria and other parts of England. Rescue teams have been absolutely wonderful but my heart breaks seeing people re-enter their homes that are all but ruined. It’s not just the furniture, the walls, the carpets etc., it is the memories, the photos, the feeling of home that those families lost. I cannot even imagine how they must be feeling. Some people haven’t lost their sense of humour in those dire circumstances saying that their kids thought this to be the best adventure of their lives. The innocence of youth is wonderful but it will be down to adults to deal with the aftermath and I hope that the government will make sure that that families are temporarily re-housed and that the insurance companies pay fully the claims, without the usual delays, so people can get on with their lives.